


Side Effects

by Midnight_Lupus



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, magic shenanigans, shipping is very subtle, the castle has a mind of its own
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28021230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Lupus/pseuds/Midnight_Lupus
Summary: It stood to reason, looking back, that the allowance of magic in the kingdom of Camelot would have some...side effects.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Side Effects

It stood to reason, looking back, that the allowance of magic in the kingdom of Camelot would have some...side effects. 

Magic, Arthur was coming to learn, was everywhere. It was in everything. He was learning to see it in the greener grass when spring rolled around, and in the faces of his people when he walked among them. Druids helped the crops to grow and treated minor injuries and illnesses and the result could be spotted in cheerful smiles of citizens as they went about their days; children played with impunity knowing a scraped knee or bumped elbow could be cured at a moment’s notice. It had taken time for Camelot to become the idyllic place before him, but the result of his hard work and time was more than worth it. Flowers bloomed in boxes along houses, vibrant and joyful, and the simple permeation of their scent brought peace to any walking next to them. 

The lower town and city were one thing, but the castle was quite another. Having many minor sorcerers couldn’t compare to the pure embodiment of magic that bumbled down the halls, cheerfully smiling and nodding along. Arthur knew Merlin was powerful. It was an undeniable fact, but he hadn’t realized the difference that allowing the warlock’s power to roam unfettered would be so big. The very stones of the citadel seemed to soak up the ambient energy until people began to notice changes.

For one thing, the animals had become more...intelligent. The horses looked at their riders with an uncanny understanding in their liquid gazes, and the birds that usually plagued the courtyard would occasionally follow a request to find a missing child or locate a dropped item. The people grew used to it rather quickly, taking it in stride along with the prosperity of the kingdom. 

The castle though, that took some adjusting.

It started small. The woodpile behind the kitchen appeared to be far more organized one morning, but Cook had simply assumed that one of the kitchen hands had found some spare time. Gaius had gone to bed complaining of his lost pestle, only to wake and find it laying out on his work table (where he knew he had checked already), perhaps Merlin had found it on the floor while he was asleep and left it there for him. The one gargoyle that faced just  _ slightly _ off-center had somehow been moved into perfect alignment-- much to the delight of George. Windows left open by forgetful staff were closed by morning, other missing items were found in plain sight, and the step that always squeaked in the western tower silenced itself seemingly overnight. 

Arthur heard the murmurs of course. Castles were held up by the gossip that bounced around the corridors and he’d learned to keep one ear to the ground in case any useful information made its way around the staff. One story he found amusing was the tale of a new squire who had gotten lost amongst the many hallways and had found the only door able to be opened was the one that led in the correct direction. Everything was minor, and everything seemed to be positive, so he let the odd stories circulate and concerned himself with other matters. 

The first major incident occurred when a visiting noble accidentally stumbled against the door of their guest quarters as they were retiring from supper. Arthur had been returning to his own chambers and had stopped to watch the inebriated man fumble for the doorknob and miss with a rather unkind remark as to the integrity of the door. To the man’s (and Arthur’s) surprise the door seemingly swung outward of its own accord, allowing the complainant to weave his way forward into the room. Halfway through the noble’s entry Arthur was amazed to see the door swing itself shut rather forcefully; this elicited a surprised cry from the man now sprawled over the rug inside the room, sore where the wood had smacked his rather ample backside. Needless to say when the king entered his own room he refrained from any comment about his own door; after all, if it stuck once or twice during the summer it was none of his concern.

The second incident was also witnessed by the young king, who heard a maid complaining rather loudly to his court sorcerer about a wardrobe in one of the empty rooms being used for storage. Words became clearer as Arthur made his way towards the commotion.

“--elling you, I put those boots in there not one day ago and now they’re gone! I can see them when I stand away from the wardrobe, but when I go to reach in I can’t find them anywhere!” The frustration in the woman’s voice was plain to hear.

“Alright now.” Merlin’s voice was soothing. “Let’s have a look and see if I can’t fix the problem.”

Arthur rounded the corner and fixed his sorcerer with a look. “Merlin. What exactly is going on here?”

The man’s blue eyes crinkled with a smile, the one Merlin always wore when Arthur came into his sight. “Nothing, sire. Just a bit of a...minor mystery.”

“It’s bewitched, I’m telling you!” The maid took the opportunity to enter the conversation, uttering a belated “Your Majesty” upon realizing she’d potentially interrupted the king of Camelot.

The item in question was a simple wardrobe, sitting unassumingly against the stone wall with both doors hanging open to display the inner contents. There were clearly a pair of boots sitting at the bottom.

“Well, I see the boots.” Arthur bent to retrieve them only to find his fingers closing on empty air. “And...I cannot see the boots.”

Merlin eyed the offending bit of furniture with a frown. “Oh they’re in there somewhere, it’s just a question of where. Nothing for it, I suppose.”

Backing up, Arthur took the maid to one side as he prepared to witness a feat of magic. Perhaps Merlin would destroy the wardrobe entirely, or magic the boots out onto the floor? From the girl’s expression she was also expecting to see something impressive.

Neither the maid nor the king expected to see the lithe sorcerer stride up to the wardrobe and place his hands on his narrow hips.

“Right, let’s have them then!” Merlin’s tone was akin to someone reasoning with a child. 

The boots reappeared only to show up on the very top shelf, vanishing again when the court sorcerer attempted to grab them.

Merlin sighed. “Really?” Reaching in, he easily took a cloak from its hanger and replaced it within the wardrobe. “Just the boots apparently…” Backing up again, the warlock frowned. “Give them up. Come on!” 

“Why is he treating it like a dog?” The maid’s whisper drew Arthur’s attention for a moment, but the king could only offer a shrug in reply.

“You’re meant to store things and then let someone get them back out.” One door to the wardrobe flapped shut. “I mean it. I can take you apart to get them if I have to.”

Sullenly the door creaked back open and one of the boots was ejected onto the floor, the second followed after a meaningful throat clearing from the warlock. 

“Thank you.” Picking up the footwear Merlin handed them to the maid, who took them with a wary look and bolted from the room with a hasty bow to Arthur. Muttering, the young man conjured a piece of paper and quill pen, writing something down before fixing it to the wardrobe door with a similarly conjured tack.

“No boots.” Arthur snorted as he read the sign. “Really? That’s your solution?”

Merlin dismissed the quill and it vanished into thin air with a flutter. “Look, it gave them back. It seems as though the issue is only with boots and I don’t want to bother destroying this because you  _ know _ the steward will yell if he has to order a new one made.”

This was true, the steward was decidedly irritated by wasteful use of castle items. Arthur conceded the point and left the room side by side with Merlin. “You know, this castle is apparently gaining somewhat of a personality.” 

“It’s always had a personality, Arthur.” Merlin threw the king a look. “Now it’s just...being allowed out in the open a little.”

“ _ Mer _ lin. The wardrobe stole boots.”

“Borrowed them. It isn’t stealing if it gave them bac-- ow!”

Arthur’s mouth ticked up in a smirk as his erstwhile warlock rubbed the back of his head. “Well you’d best make sure it doesn’t  _ borrow _ anything else or I’ll put you in there and see if you disappear.”

“With my luck I’d end up somewhere completely irrelevant, like a snowy forest or something...maybe a satyr…” Merlin shook himself when Arthur shot him a confused glance. “Nothing, sorry. I think my mind got ahead of itself a little.”

“Your mind is too slow to get ahead of itself,  _ Mer _ lin.”

The warlock and the king’s banter echoed down the corridor as they strolled through the castle without any real destination, and if the castle seemed to take them the long way around then neither of them bothered mentioning it. 

After all, side effects were to be expected.

**Author's Note:**

> Hullo! This kinda slipped into my head one day and I just thought I'd jot it down. There is more to this little story if you all want to hear it, but I wanted to gauge the reaction to this chapter first.


End file.
